Magdalena Biosciences Initiates Preclinical Study to Evaluate Plant Extracts to Treat Depression, Anxiety, ADHD and Other Mental Health Indications

Magdalena Biosciences, a joint venture recently formed by Jaguar Health and Filament Health Corp., is focused on developing novel, natural prescription medicines derived from plants for mental health indications

Magdalena launches corporate website

SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 23, 2023 / Jaguar Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAGX) today announced that Magdalena Biosciences, Inc., the joint venture recently formed by Jaguar and Filament Health Corp. (OTCQB:FLHLF)(NEO:FH)(FSE:7QS) to develop novel, natural prescription medicines derived from plants for mental health indications, has initiated a preclinical study in Brazil to evaluate two plant extracts for their potential to treat depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other possible neuropsychiatric conditions initially in adults.

"This preclinical study will consist of evaluating both extracts in mice, using fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) scans to look for differential neuronal activity," said Dr. Karen Brunke, Jaguar's EVP of Corporate and Business Development and Acting CEO of Magdalena Biosciences. "We hope to see differential synaptic activity and communication in specific brain regions (connectivity) of interest for a range of mental disorders with these extracts. This study will help determine what dose as well as the best first therapeutic indication for possible use in humans aimed at potential future FDA approval as botanical drugs."

Analysis of the FDG PET scans will be done by Dr. Eduardo A. Zimmer of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The Zimmer Lab is comprised of a multidisciplinary team with expertise in conducting refined non-invasive imaging studies in small animals and humans. "Beyond PET conventional analyses, we have been developing new tools to understand brain regional communication, which we believe can help to test novel drugs for treating complex mental disorders," Dr. Zimmer said.

Dr. Elaine Elisabetsky, who has general responsibility for coordinating resources and principal investigators for this project in Brazil, is one of the world's leading ethnopharmacologists. She is a consultant to both Magdalena Biosciences and Jaguar and is a member of the scientific strategy team for Jaguar's Entheogen Therapeutics Initiative (ETI). Identification of plants best suited for these studies were done as part of the ETI, which aims to discover and develop groundbreaking, novel, natural medicines derived from psychoactive plants for treatment of mood disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, addiction, and other mental health disorders. The Magdalena Biosciences joint venture emerged from Jaguar's ETI.

The URL for the newly launched website for Magdalena Biosciences is magdalenabiosciences.com.

About Filament Health

Filament Health (OTCQB:FLHLF) (NEO:FH) (FSE:7QS) is a clinical-stage natural psychedelic drug development company. Filament believes that safe, standardized, naturally-derived botanical medicines can improve the lives of many, with a mission to see them in the hands of everyone who needs them as soon as possible. Filament's platform of proprietary intellectual property enables the discovery, development, and delivery of natural medicines, including psychedelic medicines, for clinical development. Filament is paving the way with the first-ever natural psychedelic drug candidates.

Learn more at www.filament.health and on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About the Jaguar Health Family of Companies

Jaguar Health, Inc. (Jaguar) is a commercial stage pharmaceuticals company focused on developing novel proprietary prescription medicines sustainably derived from plants from rainforest areas for people and animals with gastrointestinal distress, specifically associated with overactive bowel, which includes symptoms such as chronic debilitating diarrhea, urgency, and bowel incontinence. Jaguar family company Napo Pharmaceuticals focuses on developing and commercializing human prescription pharmaceuticals for essential supportive care and management of neglected gastrointestinal symptoms across multiple complicated disease states. Napo Pharmaceuticals' crofelemer drug product candidate is the subject of the OnTarget study, an ongoing pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for preventive treatment of chemotherapy-induced overactive bowel (CIOB) in adults with cancer on targeted therapy. Jaguar family company Napo Therapeutics is an Italian corporation Jaguar established in Milan, Italy in 2021 focused on expanding crofelemer access in Europe and specifically for orphan and/or rare diseases. Jaguar Animal Health is a Jaguar tradename. Magdalena Biosciences, a joint venture formed by Jaguar and Filament Health Corp. that emerged from Jaguar's Entheogen Therapeutics Initiative (ETI), is focused on developing novel prescription medicines derived from plants for mental health indications.

For more information about:

Jaguar Health, visit https://jaguar.health
Napo Pharmaceuticals, visit www.napopharma.com
Napo Therapeutics, visit napotherapeutics.com
Magdalena Biosciences, visit magdalenabiosciences.com
Visit Jaguar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jaguar-health/
Visit Jaguar on X: https://twitter.com/Jaguar_Health
Visit Jaguar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaguarhealthcommunity/

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements." These include statements regarding the expectation that this study will help determine what dose as well as the best first therapeutic indication for possible use of the extracts in humans, and the expectation that the extracts may have potential to be approved in the future by the FDA as botanical drugs. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "aim," "anticipate," "could," "intend," "target," "project," "contemplate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this release are only predictions. Jaguar has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond Jaguar's control. Except as required by applicable law, Jaguar does not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.

Contact Info:

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SOURCE: Jaguar Health, Inc.